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Vitality Check

Vitality Check is a series of Blog Posts/Columns that Rocco Castellano has written about wellness, fitness, nutrition and the state of the wellness.

Immune System

Boosting Your Immune System is an Inane Concept

written by Rocco Castellano

Many people believe that boosting your immune system is the best way to avoid getting sick. This thought process is deeply flawed, and I’ll explain why. It’s important to note that you will get sick when your immune system needs to fight an infection on some level. A healthy immune system means you can recover quickly, while a poorly functioning immune system means you’re more susceptible to less severe infections.

What makes up your Immune System?

Many microorganisms live in and on our bodies. Most are harmless, some even helpful. But under certain conditions, some organisms cause disease, and that’s where a healthy “balanced” immune system comes in as a defense system. Your healthy immune system fights off pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

A healthy immune system helps to regulate your body’s internal environment in response to external changes that occur within your environment. Think of it as an ever-moving, ever-evolving world that is constantly under attack from outside and inside – from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the objects we touch.

The human body is constantly at war against thousands of harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites. This constant struggle keeps us from getting sick.

Innate and Adaptive Immunity

However, sometimes the body fails to protect itself from these invaders, causing sickness or death. There are two main types of immunity: innate and adaptive.

Innate immunity is an immediate defense against harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites that enter the body. The immune system recognizes these invaders as harmful because they have specific molecules on their surfaces called antigens. Innate immunity acts quickly to prevent these microorganisms from multiplying and spreading to other parts of the body. There are also natural barriers that organisms must get through before infecting a person’s cells, such as skin and mucous membranes.

Innate immunity works in several ways. For example, neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, rush to the scene of an infection devour these antigens. Neutrophils also release molecules that attack the cell walls of invading bacteria, causing them to burst. Another way it fights off invaders is by sending antibodies, unique proteins that seek out and destroy these harmful microorganisms.

The body uses a different defense mechanism for coping with antigens it has already encountered, called adaptive immunity. When you are exposed to a disease-causing bacteria or virus for the first time, bacteria and viral antigens enter the lymph nodes, small bean-shaped glands found throughout the body. Lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and organs that filters lymphatic fluid, which contains white blood cells. The antigens travel to the lymph nodes, stimulating the production of millions of specific antibodies, each one designed to destroy a particular antigen. Then these newly created antibodies enter the bloodstream and combat any cell displaying that same antigen.

When a person repeatedly encounters an antigen, they should and usually develop protection against it. This comes in two forms: active and passive. If you have ever received a vaccine, you have developed active immunity against certain diseases. The antigens in the vaccine cause the body to produce antibodies specific to these antigens, which remain in the bloodstream until an infection occurs. The genes that code for these antibodies are called immunoglobulins, or Ig, and the system of cells that produce them is called the immune system. This is why vaccines are effective only for a limited time.

Sometimes a mother can pass antibodies through the placenta during pregnancy to protect her baby from diseases. This is called passive immunity. When a woman gives birth, any antibodies she has against these antigens are still in the baby’s blood and body tissues, making them immune for a short period. To prolong protection, I recommend women breastfeed for as long as possible.

Innate and adaptive immunity work together to protect you from harm. Innate acts quickly to block invading organisms and prevent their spread, while adaptive fights off the microorganisms that have already entered the body.

Innate and adaptive immunity work together to protect against disease-causing microorganisms in a healthy human being.

The Body’s Defense Contractors

The average healthy person’s immune system eliminates about 1 million old or abnormal cells every day. This process is vital because this is what protects us against disease and infection. The immune system has various types of cells to help accomplish this task, including phagocytes, natural killer cells, monocytes, neutrophils, basophils eosinophils, and lymphocytes.

Phagocytic cells are crucial because they engulf harmful microorganisms like viruses, bacteria, and fungi. These cells can be found in all areas of the body. The main types of phagocytes are macrophages (found in many different tissues), neutrophils (found in the blood), eosinophils (primarily circulate through the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow, stomach lining, and elsewhere), mast cells (found in connective tissues surrounding blood vessels), dendritic cells (help regulate immune system response by presenting antigens to other immune cells), monocytes (primarily responsible for containing infection outbreak by killing microbes), and microglia (help support the central nervous system).

Natural killer cells are another type of phagocyte. They can directly destroy virally infected cells, tumors, and bacterial cells. They cannot recognize these types of cells independently; however – they need to be primed by other immune cells.

Monocytes are a phagocyte that also plays an essential role in the defense against bacterial and fungal infections. At first, these cells move from the blood into infected tissue to kill pathogens. They then recruit additional monocytes and macrophages, which destroy the pathogens. Monocytes can remain in tissues for up to a few months after initial infection, thus helping slow down the spread of disease if it occurs again.

Neutrophils are another common type of phagocyte that protects against bacterial infections. They are active in innate and adaptive immune systems, which means they are involved from the beginning of a disease. Neutrophils do not have any receptors to identify pathogens on their own. Instead, they rely on externalized proteins from other immune cells that have already recognized pathogens, such as macrophages. After neutrophils have encountered a pathogen, they will destroy themselves to release the newly made proteins that can then be identified by other immune cells.

Basophils are another type of phagocyte important for fighting parasites and worms. These cells release chemical signals that mobilize the immune system to defend against these types of infections. However, basophils can also contribute to allergic reactions due to their sensitivity. If exposed to an allergy-causing substance, they will release histamine and other chemicals that can cause inflammation.

Eosinophils are similar to basophils in that they contribute to allergies, but the significant difference is that eosinophils release their signals when fighting parasitic infections. Eosinophil cells comprise about 1% of white blood cells in humans.

Lymphocytes are another type of phagocyte, and they are known specifically for their role in the adaptive immune system. Unlike innate immunity, which works immediately to destroy pathogens within the body, adaptive immunity is not fully developed until after a person has been exposed to an infection. The purpose of lymphocytes is to remember the pathogen to be destroyed if reencountered. There are two types of lymphocytes: B cells and T cells.

B cells produce antibodies when exposed to a pathogen, which neutralizes the harmful bacteria or virus through protein markers called antigens. The production of these proteins allows other immune cells to identify and destroy these pathogens after pathogen exposure. On the other hand, T cells do not produce antibodies. Instead, they target infected cells and release chemicals to destroy them.

Healthy Immune System

The main function of your immune system is to kill organisms that pose a threat, either because they are likely to replicate or because they make our bodies uncomfortable with illness. There are only three reasons your immune system is not healthy for the most part. Many studies ¹ ² ³ have shown that one’s immune system is usually weakened by a lack of sleep, poor nutrition, and stress.

Sleep Deprivation

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Sleep deprivation weakens your immune system because it prevents the body from recuperating and repairing itself and causes it to produce too much cortisol. A glucocorticoid hormone such as cortisol plays an essential role in the metabolism of several substances. It is released by the adrenal glands into the bloodstream, contributes to metabolic reactions such as carbohydrate and fat breakdown, and suppresses tissue growth and reproduction processes. Another aspect of cortisol is to regulate the body’s response to stress and anxiety. It increases blood sugar levels, redistributes heat from inside the body to its surface, and suppresses some immune system functions. Cortisol is released during physical or emotional stress such as pain, fear, anger, or excitement. So, the more we limit the use of cortisol, the better.

When you go to sleep, the cells in your body re-energize. Energy flows through each cell as its charged with new carbon molecules during the night. The longer and deeper you sleep, the more these cells get repaired, energized, or removed. When you don’t get enough sleep (7 -8 hours a night) or your quality of sleep is terrible (waking up during the night, no deep sleep), your body doesn’t get the adequate time to recuperate or repair damaged cells. This creates a vicious cycle of cellular disrepair. It’s like a junkyard of broken cells that rot, take up space or stay broken. Which are no use and, most of the time, create an environment that attracts and promotes disease—the exact opposite of what we need to have a healthy immune system.

Every second, trillions of cells are dying and being replaced throughout your body. When you’re awake, there is a constant cycle of cellular regeneration as old cells die and new cells are born. The older cells need to be replaced to maintain the body’s general function.

Poor Nutrition

I can go on and on about our Pop Tart scarfing, Energy Drink consumption, McDonald’s eating society, but that is for many other blog posts. I have many blog posts on this site that talk about proper nutrition or healthy diet. What I mean by a healthy diet or adequate nutrition is to eat to create an environment to help in the repair and healing process that allows our immune system to flourish and do its job.

Because poor nutrition directly damages your body’s ability to function. It can result in malnutrition, weight gain or loss, skin conditions, shedding of hair, and fatigue, allowing disease to wreak havoc. Depending on your health, it is always good to start with rebalancing your immune system with something like the Ketogenic Diet, Primal Blueprint, or Paleo, then branch off from there – and yes, there are vegetarian versions of them (if you are a non-meat eater).

Your Diet absolutely needs nutrient-packed vegetables like spinach for Zinc, some citrus fruits for vitamin C. I try to eat as much fruit as I can that has a lower glycemic index like strawberries, apples and blueberries plus they’re rich in antioxidants.

Stress

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Most of you reading this have heard that stress or anxiety results in a suppressed immune system, and if you don’t know, it does. The more stress we are exposed to, the more suppressed our immune system becomes. The reason is, here’s that hormone again – Cortisol. As a hormone, cortisol has a very practical side, but as with almost everything, too much of it can and will harm. In our society, we usually live in what I call “an Adrenaline state .”A place we never want to be except for extreme circumstances.

An Adrenaline State is the first stage of the human stress response. Though adrenaline is often associated with excitement, it can be released from harmful stimuli, including stress. Adrenaline state occurs when adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels are low in cells, which causes neurotransmitters to excite parts of the brain. Upon excitation, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which stimulates the anterior pituitary to produce adrenocorticotropic hormone. The release of CRH and adrenocorticotropic hormone leads to cortisol production by the adrenal glands. Cortisol then enters the bloodstream, inducing changes to prepare for a “fight or flight” response. This fight or flight response suppresses the immune system and stops defensive responses in their tracks.

Trying to Boost Your Immune System

As you can see, your “Immune System” is a complex defense system. Trying to add a supplement or food to boost your immune system without understanding the other factors related to immune suppression will be futile. Taking the necessary actions to get the sleep you need, the proper nutrition (which is different for everyone), and reducing your stress will give you a healthy immune system. One, ready and willing to fight off any bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasite. While people have been trying to ‘boost their immune system’ for centuries, the best approach is simply being aware of how your body works and taking care of it accordingly.

4. Besedovsky L, Lange T, Born J. Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Arch. 2012 Jan;463(1):121-37. DOI: 10.1007/s00424-011-1044-0. Epub 2011 Nov 10. PMID: 22071480; PMCID: PMC3256323

5. Irwin MR, Opp MR. Sleep Health: Reciprocal Regulation of Sleep and Innate Immunity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017 Jan;42(1):129-155. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.148. Epub 2016 Aug 11. PMID: 27510422; PMCID: PMC5143488.

6. Haspel JA, Anafi R, Brown MK, Cermakian N, Depner C, Desplats P, Gelman AE, Haack M, Jelic S, Kim BS, Laposky AD, Lee YC, Mongodin E, Prather AA, Prendergast BJ, Reardon C, Shaw AC, Sengupta S, Szentirmai É, Thakkar M, Walker WE, Solt LA. Perfect timing: circadian rhythms, sleep, and immunity – an NIH workshop summary. JCI Insight. 2020 Jan 16;5(1):e131487. DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.131487. PMID: 31941836; PMCID: PMC7030790.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for general educational purposes and is not intended to be used as medical advice.

January 16, 2022 0 comment

Daylight Savings time… is a waste of time (Fall)

written by Rocco Castellano

Right off the bat, I have to tell you I hate daylight savings time. I really wish one of the idiot government officials that have done nothing would put together a bill that bans daylight savings time. We have daylight in the summer until almost 10 o’clock at night but during the winter you see the sun going down at 4:26 pm. What the f-k? It doesn’t make any sense anymore. Even if you wake up at 6 am… It’s still dark. Sunrise happens at 6:35 am. So why not just push it back a little to 7:35 am and have another hour of daylight after work. Shit, kids are coming home from school and it’s dark out, really…

Again, let me announce my disdain for this stupidity.

The reason I even mention the stupidity of daylight savings time is that it totally f-ks up everyone’s workout schedule. I know it’s the holidays and nobody is actually working out because you decided that between Halloween and new years it’s a good Idea to become a fat piece of shit. Ok, well maybe not, but that’s kinda what happens when it’s fucking dark all the time. You might as well start thinking like that… Because it really does suck to try to get motivated to try and do anything when it’s dark out. The only thing I want to do when sunset hits, is getting some dinner, grab a beer and call it a day… Oh, but that’s right, I still have at least 2 hours left and there’s no beer in sight.

It’s so funny when the sun is out and daylight lasts until 9 pm or so you find yourself not as hungry, wanting to do more stuff, and you find that inner will to get a whole lot more shit done. Come Winter…

There seems to be no time to get anything done, although there is the same number of hours in the day. It’s just plain annoying.

So now that my rant is somewhat over your question is, “How the hell do I get a workout in when I want dinner, a beer and to go to sleep”? Most of the time I would have a funny little quip or a harsh comeback but to tell you the truth, I don’t. I actually like working out and in the Winter, especially with Daylight Savings, I want to say f-k you, I’d rather be fat. I know, not a great inspiration but it’s the truth. When it’s dark, motivation goes right out the window.

I’m pretty lucky. I don’t have a clock to punch every day but I do still have to work and there’s literally only 10 1/2 hours of daylight and I don’t like waking up at 6:30 am so I waste about 3 hours of daylight sleeping until 9 – 9:30 am. So now my daylight is cut to 7 1/2 hours. This homemade natural sleeping aid got me all the sleep I need for the colder days.

So how do I get a workout in?

I wake up, have some coffee, get all my morning chores done and when I feel awake enough I take 10 minutes and do a quick circuit training style workout without equipment. I wrote about something similar a year or so ago. Instead of going to the gym or lifting weights I just perform 5 sets of different bodyweight exercises for three rounds.

The first exercise I do is Jumping Jacks for 1 minute. Jumping Jacks are a great full body, multi-joint exercise that acts as a warm-up and also raises your heart rate. Then I do some pushups for 1 minute. If you have a hard time performing pushups, you can do something called a negative pushup. Where you get to a pushup position and lower yourself down to the floor in 5-6 seconds. I usually do as may regular pushups as I can and then finish off by doing negative pushups. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just do it.

I then do another set of Jumping Jacks for 1 minute and go right into “Air” squats. Place your arms out in front of you and squat as many times as you can in 1 minute. You want to go at a good speed but not too fast that you don’t keep good form. After that do another set of Jumping Jacks for 1 minute. Right after, perform 1 minute of Lunges on each leg. If you don’t know what a Lunge is, go to YouTube and search for it. There are about 1000 videos so I won’t describe how to do it here.

There is no resting in between sets.

It’s one continuous, no break workout. Now get down on your knees and perform Mountain Climbers for 1 minute. Again, YouTube is your friend. The only thing that I will add is to keep your butt down and your back straight and make sure your knees come up to your chest.

Last but not least I do some Criss-Cross Crunches. Basically, you raise your upper body while twisting your trunk at the waist, both hands behind your head touching the opposite elbow to your knee. Then if you feel energetic do another set of Jumping Jacks. It is fairly easy.

I do something similar to this 2-3 times a day when I can steal 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. When you’re unmotivated it makes more sense to chunk up your workouts. You still get a good 30 minutes in but it’s done throughout your day.

Here’s to getting through this Winter together.

July 17, 2019 0 comment

Planet Fitness: The good, the bad and WTF

written by Rocco Castellano

When I decided to write this blog it was going to be the ultimate “slam” article. I was going to rip Planet Fitness to shreds with funny anecdotes, stupid choices in marketing and the infamous snack policy. All of those things will be in here but it won’t be the franchise shredding that I thought it would be. O.K., maybe a little, because it’s too easy, but it will also have good stuff too. Maybe. Let’s have some fun.

Let’s begin by stating a few facts. OK, only one: I hate Planet Fitness. I have had at least 10 known worst gym experiences ever at Planet Fitness and that was just in the first month. Then I quit. I hate being quitter, but I hated Planet Fitness more. After owning my own personal training studios for over 30 years, it seemed weird having to go into a gym. I was thinking about going to Gold’s Gym or working out in my garage but I got an idea that joining Planet Fitness would be a good thing. $10 a month, and right down the street from my house, it would have nearly everything I needed to work out. Or so I thought…

Junk Food at the Gym? Seriously?

I walked in, and upon entering saw a jar full of tootsie rolls. My greatest weakness is Tootsie Rolls. I love ’em. I can eat at least 50 miniatures in a sitting, guilt-free, and not look back. So when I saw the tootsie rolls, it didn’t automatically phase me – because I grabbed a handful. While I was downing about a dozen of those chocolatey delicious mini-treats of happiness, my brain went into “WTF?” mode. I actually said: “WTF? I’m eating Tootsie Rolls and signing up for a gym membership. What’s wrong with this picture?” I kept eating the Tootsie Rolls… and still signed up. This was the beginning of the end.

Many articles about Planet Fitness talk about their ugly colors and dress code policy. I’m not going to go there, because I actually think the colors aren’t that bad. They’re not the Satan-worshiping black on red, or black on blue with over-muscled cartoonish figures breaking out of bricks that I’m so accustomed to, but I had to sacrifice. It was still $10, and literally down the street from me. I walked there as a warm up. I wore shorts, a tank top, and running shoes, so I guess I was within their dress code. Maybe my name, Rocco Castellano scared the piss out of them. Nah, it was probably because I was within their dress code.

I started training on a Monday. Guess what was waiting for me when I walked in to train? Wow! You’re good! That’s right, 30 pizza boxes and a bunch of fatties eating pizza. Because it’s a “No Judgement Zone.” I felt I shouldn’t judge and walked past the pepperoni-, sausage-, meatball-topped pizzas and changed into my gym clothes to begin my brutal workout. Let me tell you, as an Italian American, working out in a place that has pizza aroma wafting through its air ducts is quite distracting. I don’t want to workout, I want to eat pizza. And I want a lot of it.

“It’ll Intimidate the Other Members…”

So, being the determined MF that I am, I quashed those cravings and began my workout. As a rule, I always start with legs, then I do a quick warm up on the bike – 12 minutes. I went over to the squat rack, put on 225 pounds and pumped out a nice, smooth 20 reps. My first workout was already kicking ass. A very happy me is thinking, “Damn I still got it!” I throw on 315 pounds with obvious balls bigger than my brain, thinking, “I’m going to crush this weight.” I get under the weight, do my little pre-squat dance and all of a sudden I get a tap on my shoulder. I didn’t yet have a training partner at this place, so I didn’t know who this could be. I’m going to crush 315 pounds for reps, and you’re bothering me?

The manager is looking at me through the reflection in the mirror and – no lie, I still get goosebumps thinking about it – he said, “You’re not allowed to lift that much weight here, it will intimidate the other members.”

I stepped out from underneath the weight, turned around and looked the manager in the eye. I said, “Really? Wow, you have a lot of pussies that workout here then… because I was thinking about squatting more.” I don’t think he liked that comment but he still let me workout. So I went to the leg press and did a 50-rep set of whatever the rack was. Not a waste. Finished up with leg extensions and leg curls and a 6-minute bike ride for some active recovery.

Judgement Free… That’s a Joke

I went over to the dumbbell area, wearing my iPod shuffle because the music being pumped through the speakers effectively sucks. I’d love to throw a 25-pound weight at Britney Spears – just sayin’. I grabbed a pair of 45’s from the rack and finished up a set of chest flies. I got another tap on my now-exhausted shoulder. Again, WTF? Obviously, I didn’t realize through the Metallica blasting in my ears that I was making a grunting noise on my last five reps. Grunting is, apparently, also too intimidating.

So, in my “judgment-free zone,” I experienced a hell of a lot of judgment on what happened to be my first day. I will write about my second day in a future post – Day 2: a Lunk Alarm… again?

Did I mention I hate Planet Fitness?

July 9, 2019 0 comment

Diet

The Big Cholesterol Scam… I mean Controversy

written by Rocco Castellano

Today, I’m giving you a two-part blog that relates to cholesterol. They are both very deceptive entities that pretty much got away with murder, literally and figuratively. For years I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that cholesterol wasn’t the problem… the idiot doctors that were taking kickbacks from big pharma were the real problem. For some reason when some certified personal trainer like myself goes against GOD… oh, I mean physicians, I’m automatically the bad guy.

Some have deemed me not intelligent enough because, I wasn’t stupid enough to go to school for many years just be a drug company’s patsy. For years, most physicians either hate me or love me. I do the research they can’t or won’t do or they’re jealous that I make more money than them. To top it off I don’t have all those student loans to pay off and I’m still smarter than them. Oh, that’s right I can’t be smarter than them because I use the word f-k when I write. Silly me.

Back to my real rant…

It is virtually impossible to explain how vital cholesterol is to the human body. If you had no cholesterol in your body you would be dead, yes dead. No cells, no bone structure, no muscles, no hormones, no sex, no reproductive system, no digestion, no brain function, no memory, no nerve endings, no movement, no human life. Nothing without cholesterol. It is utterly vital and we die instantly without it. So why would the CDC, idiot doctors and everyone else makes cholesterol an enemy of health? Hmmmmm…

Back to the cholesterol sca… I mean deceptive practices related to the pharmaceutical industry and the idiot doctors telling people that their cholesterol needs to be lower or they will die of a heart attack. O.K. you stupid motherf-kers. First off, your cholesterol is supposed to be anywhere between 225 and 250. The number 212 was pulled out of someone’s ass during a colonoscopy… or thin air, but I like the visual I just gave you better.

There has never been any evidence that a cholesterol count of 212 had any benefit whatsoever.

Some drunk people at some CDC party got together and remembered the bullshit that Ansel Keyes promoted for 50 some odd years. He spoke about fat, cholesterol and the connection with heart disease. Then he decided to create a reason to make the pharmaceutical industry 14 -20 billion dollars a year. That’s right my fellow Americans you have been duped into thinking you needed to lower your cholesterol for over 40 years. We as a society have suffered from your stupidity.

So Monty, tell us what we’ve won for listening to all those Statin commercials, doctors with their hand in big pharma’s pocket and those hyper-vigilant low fat/low cholesterol fitness gurus. The list is longer than I would like but I will give you the highlights:

Low-T or low testosterone became a billion dollar industry because doctors and so-called gurus told you to stop eating eggs, red meat, and real fat.

Infertility is a huge industry who’s doctors have benefitted from low fat, no cholesterol diet.

Mental illness, mood disorders, Alzheimers and dementia has become a national epidemic from the prescription of Statin drugs and the reduction in cholesterol consumption.

Here’s a little bit of the science behind what I am telling you so you just don’t think it is my opinion.

Cholesterol is a hormone that is a catalyst for other hormones, and it is necessary for regulating those hormones. Without cholesterol, an imbalance is inevitable within your hormone levels. Especially when it comes to your sex hormones. One of the funny conclusions that some scientists found out was that if you don’t take in cholesterol your body kinda forgets how to process it. The more you take in the better the body gets at utilizing it.

One of the greatest crimes against humanity in this bullshit propaganda is the surging of Alzheimers and dementia. The brain is about 25% cholesterol, yes, it’s true. So if you subscribe to a low cholesterol diet you have just made yourself dumber, depressed or at the very least gave yourself a bad memory. Have a f-king egg and go find your keys already. Ok, that was brewing inside me for a while… I just had to let it out. No, really.

So what can we do to fix this problem?

One… If your doctor tells you that your cholesterol is high and you need to go on a Statin to prevent a heart problem, punch him or her so hard in the face that their ancestors feel it. There has never been a study that shows that Statins prevent anything. They have only, very slightly, been shown to help if you have already had a heart attack. Two… and this is a big two. Please eat at least 3 to 4 eggs each day for the next 30 days. There is a catch though, eat 4 yolks to 2 whites. I personally eat 5 yolks to one white but I’ve been doing this a long time.

You will see and a huge increase in your libido, energy, mood, and your memory/brain function will increase. If it doesn’t , call me a liar and I won’t write another word again as long as I live. You should have these 15 fat burning foods – eating your way to natural weight loss! Here’s the other catch… take vitamin D3 and K (potassium). I can’t tell you how much because I don’t know you, but visit a “real” holistic doctor and he will give you the ratios.

July 5, 2019 0 comment

Feminism is Obviously a Mental Illness

written by Rocco Castellano

Never in my life have I ever thought I would be against something so vehemently but feminism has lost it’s collective mind. A couple of weeks back several self-proclaimed feminists took a page from the also f-ked up Planned Parenthood playbook and created a hashtag #ShoutYourStatus. Planned Parenthood had the #ShoutYourAbortion campaign. Maybe I’ll write about that stupidity some other time but #ShoutYourStatus had every feminist slut having a field day posting such tweets as; “I have herpes and I’m still lovely AF” or “ I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face. STI’s are not a consequence of bad decisions or poor character”.

Holy S-t!!! have I walked into the f-king twilight zone.

I’ll keep telling you until I’m blue in the face you idiot… they are absolutely the results of bad decisions and poor character. If you screw anything with a cock you have a pretty good chance of getting something that will cause a scabby vag. I get the whole, “I want to create awareness so women can maybe not get STI’s thing” but tweeting that you have herpes and you’re still “hot AF”, doesn’t empower you. It proves you need to grow the f-k up and realize that the consequences of your actions can have viral effects, literally.

I know there are venom spewing women out there, with vaginas spilling over with pus just wanting to choke the s-t out of me but being proud or unashamed for being “that girl”… is not a worthy thought process. In your shame, you will find the strength to realize how stupid you were and maybe it will force you to make somewhat better decisions regarding your sexual health.

Sometimes shame can be a good thing if it is appropriately channeled…

But tweeting your status is as dumb as it gets. I’ve heard all the sad stories about how the stigma of having herpes was so excruciating that some women wanted to kill themselves. Boo – f-king – hoo. You screwed someone, got herpes and now you want to kill yourself or need to take psychotropic drugs just to make you feel better about your slutty decisions. Ummm, no. I’m not saying it’s a good idea to go jump off a building because you have herpes, if you do, please leave it in your suicide note to your obviously irresponsible parents, to sue me because you were too much of a coward to face the consequences of your bad decision and poor character… there has to be some douchebag ambulance or in this case hearse chaser out there that would take your case.

So, if you are still alive, reading this and you’re a slut that thinks their herpes is a good thing, stop reading… because you are an idiot. If you are ashamed of yourself for contracting an incurable disease, good we’re on the road to healing. Not your sores and blisters in your nether region but what’s in the space between your ears.

I know promiscuity seems like fun.

Getting poked by a different guy every night, keeping score like your playing Gin Rummy but the sexual revolution has created some casualties. Yes, I know condoms are a real bitch… they’re not comfortable, sometimes they break, you smell like latex all night. I get it. Let me tell you, your health both physically and psychologically is more important to me that some orgasm you “just had to have”. Use a f-king condom until you feel comfortable enough to have the talk about STI’s and have your “hook up” get a blood test.

This insanity of feminism and the “hook up” culture that seems so prevalent is a breeding ground for psychosis. In her book, “The End of Sex”, Donna Freitas explains that she interviewed more than 1000 college students and three words or something similar came out of their mouths; regretful, ashamed and empty. The very same types of words that follow after someone gets herpes. See where I’m going with this. If you don’t then you probably couldn’t find your vagina with both hands and a flashlight.

If you need to shut down as most people do to “hook up” and not have any emotional ties, you go against everything that nature intended for sex to be. We’re not robots that are supposed to go around having sex without feelings or emotions attached to it. If you feel the need to get poked, go pick out something the fits in your nightstand and doesn’t wake up the neighbors when it vibrates.

Herpes no matter how many tweets the #ShoutYourStatus twitter campaign boasts is never a good thing.

Disease, in general, is never a good thing. If you can avoid it, avoid it. Here are some figures that may be able to help you decide it’s better not to get herpes.

The latest CDC figures on genital herpes prevalence, as measured by blood tests for antibodies, are here.

-More than 80% of people with herpes are undiagnosed.

-Overall prevalence by the time people reach their forties is 26%.

-In the general population, one-fifth of women and 11.5% of men are infected.

And yes, obviously feminism is a mental illness being a trend these days. So here’s a bit of advice someone told me a long time ago… and still holds true today. If you’re going to have sex, expect to get an STD. When you have that itching, burning, drippy feeling burned in your brain… you’ll, not wear a condom.

July 3, 2019 0 comment

OB-GY-No : Prenatal Vitamins And the False Security They Provide

written by Rocco Castellano

Over the past few weeks, you may have come to the realization that my wife is pregnant and that the health care system—specifically OB-GYN — sucks. At least from where I’m standing. We finally, at 34 f—ing weeks, were able to find an OB-GYN who didn’t have her head up her ass. Now, with less than four weeks left, the mass of baby shit is descending on me like an avalanche on Mount Everest— and for some reason, I’m actually happy about it. Yeah, me.

In past columns, I’ve written about how my wife’s pregnancy basically sucked for her and how none of the idiot doctors could find a solution to her problem. Seriously, what happened to health care? Even her own mother and grandmother were questioning what the doctors were saying about her overactive salivary glands. The go-to answer: “It’s not typical, but it does happen… And there’s really nothing you can do about it.” So when it came to nutrition, I knew the doctors would be just as brain-dead.

At the beginning of the pregnancy, the midwife assigned to us (I still have no idea why) asked my wife if she was taking prenatal vitamins.

“Of course,” we said.

She nodded her head and went on with 100 more questions, never asking what kind or what dosage. So when I asked (because I love being an asshole) about the difference between folic acid and folate, the squirming, sweating and stuttering began—and I loved it.

Many health professionals would argue that folate and folic acid are the same nutrients. Those idiots would be wrong. They’re not. Folic acid is very easy to synthesize for supplements, so the vitamin industry will lead you to believe it is good for you and that it is the supplemental form of folate. Wrong.

For women past childbearing age and for men in general, excessive doses of the synthetic (made in a f—ing lab) form is usually not needed—and may even be harmful. Some researchers have hypothesized that the excessive consumption of folic acid in many of our processed foods may stimulate the growth of tumors, which can directly lead to cancer.

And I’m not a big fan… Cancer seems to cramp people’s style.

So when people or “doctors,” say that folic acid is good, I usually slap them. Folic acid has its risks, but folate, on the other hand, is awesome.

The consumption of folate-rich foods is essential to everyone’s diet, especially for pregnant women. Folate aids the complete development of red blood cells reduces levels of homocysteine in the blood and supports nervous system function. It is well known for its role in preventing neural tube defects in newborns. So women of childbearing age must be sure to have an adequate intake prior to and during pregnancy.

The best sources of folate are vegetables such as romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and lentils. Probably every vegetable that would make a pregnant woman vomit but is needed to keep your baby’s brain intact and prevent spina bifida. So eat it. If you don’t like vegetables, calf’s liver or chicken, regular liver will do.

If you’re too f—ing lazy to cook your own food or make a salad, you can buy a supplement with folate but make sure you look for products that list “5-methyltetrahydrofolate” or “5-MTHF” on the label. Try not to be brain-dead when you are pregnant or your unborn child will suffer from your stupidity. Don’t listen to the marketing and dumbass doctors; avoid products that say “folic acid” on the label.

This seems to be a hotbed of controversy, especially coming from a loud-mouthed, profanity spewing, bad-attitude-having mother-f—er. But every word of this is researched and can be substantiated.

Ask your doctor the last time they read a study on folate or folic acid.

Most likely it was during the Reagan administration. And if they start squirming, sweating and stuttering when you ask them, laugh and start searching for a new doctor. Your health is more important than your doctor’s or some vitamin company’s wealth.

So far, even with all the bullshit associated with this pregnancy, my wife is braving it like a champ. She’s eating all the right foods, even if she’d rather stick a fork in her eye than eat it, and making sure all of her nutritional needs are met. It is working like a charm.

Every visit to this new doctor brings a smile to her face, which brings a very rare smile to mine. Our unborn baby is growing, kicking, boxing, pulling… Shit, I think she’s having George St- Pierre, and he’s not sleeping, very much like his old man. My wife can’t wait for him to get here (for her own reasons). And I can’t wait to meet him and maybe go a few rounds with him.

Next week, I’m going to give you more research on two specific vitamins essential to brain function for you and your little fetus. And tell you why doctors have totally overlooked them. Like how the lack of these nutrients may be linked to the onset of autism.

June 28, 2019 0 comment

What Happened to Healthcare? (Part 1)

written by Rocco Castellano

Not many of you know this, but I have been coaching many of the top fitness professionals on how to build successful businesses. The secret formula really isn’t that secret and… Isn’t really that difficult to understand. Create a great product or service, deliver it with integrity and authenticity, charge a reasonable price that reflects the marketplace and market the shit out of it. There are a few more things, but this is the backbone of any real business that is successful in its most simplified form.

I think somewhere along the way healthcare practitioners, specifically doctors and more specifically OB/GYNs forgot they were actually a business. For some reason, physicians believe they are immune to business failure – just a clue, God, you’re not. Hopefully, this is a wake-up call to the thousands of patients whose doctors suck to stop being afraid to ask questions, leave their awful doctors practices and have the balls to tell them to go f— themselves. The average person who is ill or needs medical attention believes the doctor wants to be a benefit to the patient. In most cases, the truth has lost its way, and the medical practice is just chasing money.

Many of my readers don’t know this, because, well, I don’t give a shit if you do or not, but my wife is pregnant and is 30 weeks along. After the shittiest pregnancy I have ever heard of beating her up – morning, noon and night sickness for six months, a heightened sense of smell that makes everything smells like shit, and the ability to fill up gallon jugs with saliva everyday – you would think her OB/GYN would have some clue to help her.

Nope, not one.

That’s really not what this column is about. It’s about how f—ing stupid these doctors are and how ignorant many of them are to how badly their practices are run. Most physicians are saddled with complacency and office staff incompetence because the average American is stupid and allows the incompetence to happen. In the Midwest, no one wants to complain about the fear that they may hurt some idiot’s feelings. Here’s a clue, Einstein, if your doctor sucks, they’re not helping you – and they still collect insurance money.

This is the second OB/GYN practice that we are leaving because it seems that these physician groups hire 12-year-olds who can’t tie their own shoes to make life and death decisions for patients that cause insane anxiety with the lack of patient-practice communication.

The first OB/GYN practice we left had us set for an appointment with a very prominent OB/GYN. But when we got there, we were handed off to a midwife/nurse practitioner. And we’re told it was common practice and that the OB/GYN would be handling the delivery. OK, maybe the physician is ultra busy and the light work can be handled by someone else.

We come in for the first ultra-sound and find out that the prominent OB/GYN and half the practice has left. And no one can tell us where they went – douchebag move number one. During the ultrasound, the technician couldn’t find a baby if it climbed out of the vaginal canal and slapped the shit out of her. She blamed it on the one-pound tadpole growing inside my wife. Way to take responsibility.

So, a new ultrasound was needed.

We show up three weeks later because they couldn’t fit us in until then. They f— up and we have to suffer.

We walk in and are told that the appointment was made for us, 30 miles away in their other office. We had never visited the other office, ever. And we’re told that we would have to come back in two more weeks. Yeah, that didn’t happen. So we found a new OB/GYN, supposedly as equal in prominence as the first one. Famous last words.

We went back to get my wife’s medical records and they just gave them to her without asking for ID – nothing! Not even what’s her birth date… Or zodiac sign.

So, we walk into the new offices and they look like a successful practice. We had them my wife’s medical records and are told we can’t see the “real” doctor. Until we see another nurse practitioner and the medical records were looked at. OK, warm up before the big kahuna. We get a call back from the nurse practitioner after three phone calls to her to finally get an appointment.

She was on vacation, and no one else could help us.

F—ing amazing! We finally get the appointment for the nurse practitioner. And we are bombarded with paperwork that could choke Congress. We are told we have to pay all the co-pays upfront before we see the doctor. I asked why we weren’t told this. In the eight phone calls that we had with the front desk people, finance people, and the vacationing nurse practitioner. The answer, drum roll please… “I don’t know”. And the obvious question out of my mouth was, “Don’t you normally tell people they will have to pay more than their co-pay, on their first visit?” Great answer: “Oh yes, all the time.” Well, then why the f— didn’t you tell us? Another great one… “I don’t know.”

Keep up with me on Healthcare: The Failure Principle (Part 2)

June 26, 2019 1 comment

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